If you’ve been struggling with dry, dull, lifeless hair and are looking for the perfect serum to bottle life back into your locks, you’re in the right place!
We all love shiny, silky and soft hair but with heat styling, coloring, exposure to harsh environmental elements and chemical treatments our hair can almost always look and feel brittle and be lifeless. So on to the L’Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 Hair Serum, it claims to help with five signs of hair damage: split ends, weakness, roughness, dullness and dehydration. But with so many serums on the market, how does this one differentiate itself? Does it actually work to fix your damaged hair, and bring back the natural shine to your lifeless locks?
At the end of this review, I’ll tell you what I really think about the serum after using it for some time, we’ll breakdown the ingredients, how to use it, the benefits and what others like you thought of it. Whether you’re looking to tame frizz, increase shine, or avoid additional damage, this review will cover everything you need to know to determine if L’Oreal’s Total Repair 5 Serum deserves a place in your hair care routine. Let’s dive right in!
Did You Know?
L’Oreal’s Total Repair 5 line is so named as it targets the following five hair problems: split ends, hair fall due to breakage, roughness, dullness and dehydration. Designed for application on damp or dry hair, this serum is easy to use for different styling purposes.
At a Glance: What You Need to Know
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Product Type | Hair Serum |
| Key Benefits | Repair damaged hair, reduce split ends, add shine, control frizz, hydrate |
| Key Ingredients | Ceramide, Arginine, Castor Oil, Vitamin B5 |
| Suitable Hair Types | Dry, damaged, chemically treated, frizzy hair |
| Fragrance | Light, pleasant floral scent |
| Price | Affordable, mid-range |
A Closer Look: L’Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 Hair Serum
L’Oreal’s Total Repair 5 Hair Serum is a leave-in treatment that features fixing damage up to 2x the length of your hair and works to control the look of the flyaways. It’s designed to restore and protect ‘stressed’ hair, without making it feel heavy.
- Specifically designed to combat hair fall, dryness, roughness, dullness and split ends.
- Contains ultra fine keratin molecules that aides deep into the cortex to help recreate any damage from the inside out.
- Helps to smooth the hair making it feel softer, more manageable and less frizzy.
If you’re experiencing dryness, or breakage, this might be your answer. Buy now
Key Ingredients and Their Functions
Here are some of the ingredients that make this L’Oreal Paris Hair Serum so effective:
- Dimethicone: Derived from silicone, this ingredient coats the hair to create smooth strands, combat frizzes and adds shine.
- Cyclopentasiloxane: A weightless silicone that adds slip and spreadability to the serum and evaporates leaving hair soft and conditioned with no product residue.
- Glycerin: A humectant that pulls in moisture from the air to hydrate hair (for softness and flexibility).
- Amodimethicone: Silicone conditioner that selectively deposits on only damaged areas, creating protective shield on the hair to keep hair conditioned.
- Hydrolyzed Keratin: A protein derivative which is put into products to help strengthen weak hair strands and improve its strength (common in Total Repair 5 products, see package for details).
- Scent: Makes scalp sweet smelling but may irritate sensitivity for those with sensitive scalp.
First Look: My Thoughts on the Packaging
It’s housed in a chic, peachy plastic bottle with a sturdy pump that dispenses the perfect amount of the product. Packaging is very contemporary,and fits nicely in the hand. I liked that it was a pump, which helps reduce waste and keeps the serum cleaner than a tube or open bottle. I love its clear label with instructions, and the ingredient listing has been printed so thoughtfully.
It’s also travel-friendly, though I would advise storing it upright to prevent accidental leaks. The bottle size is handy, portable to your gym bag or as a traveling companion.
Who Should Try this Serum?
It’s a really good choice if you have any sort of compromised hair — whether that’s brittleness from a lifetime of ironing, split ends from coloring, or dryness because of the air around you. It’s suitable for:
- Dry or frizzy hair requiring an extra dose of moisture and smoothness
- Who it is for: Hair that’s processed or colored, should use damage control formula.
- A person who styles a lot with straighteners or curling irons and are looking foheat protection
- But if your hair is over-damaged, heavily breaking or if you have scalp concerns, you’ll probably have to use more intensive treatments in conjunction with this serum.
How I Use It for Best Results
To use the L’Oreal Paris Hair Serum, pump a small amount (1-2 pumps depending on hair length) into your palm and rub hands together. Work through towel-dried hair concentrating on mid-lengths and ends; you don’t want to use too much, or you’ll be left feeling greasy. And you can put a little bit on dry hair to give frizz and shine the knockout punch.
Pair It With
For total repair, use with L’Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 Shampoo and Conditioner to keep your hair healthy and protected against future damage. A weekly hair mask in the same range can add a hydration boost and reinforce the serum’s repair claims.
User Reviews: What People Are Saying
Users echo how well the serum sinks in and how soft it feels instantly. The smell is generally said to be a nice one that is not too strong. Those with fine-to-medium hair say it tames flyaways and adds smoothness without making hair feel weighed down. However, for some users with very curly hair or very coarse hair, it wasn’t moisturizing enough on its own and they needed additional conditioning products.
Editor’s Note: My Skin Type & Experience
My hair is medium-thick, and I color-treat it, and it tends to frizz out in the worst kind of way, especially in humid weather. Regularly use I noticed smoother and easier to control. It also helped me to smooth down flyaways on dry days and, when heat styling, protected pretty well. That being said, I would still opt to use a replenishing conditioner with this product for the most repair.
How It Stacks Up Against Other Serums
Here are breakdowns of how this lightweight hair serum measures up to two other popular hair serums that focus on damaged hair, to give you a better idea:
| Feature | L’Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 Hair Serum | Matrix Biolage Smoothproof Serum | Livon Hair Serum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texture | Lightweight, quick absorbing | Lightweight, silicones with bamboo extract | Medium-weight, a tad thicker than L’Oreal |
| Best For | Daily use, reparative, anti-frizz, shiny finishing | Humidity resisting frizz control, lasts longer smoothing | Flyaway control, detangling, mirror shine |
| Price Range | Affordable | Mid-range | Cheap |
| Scent | Mild pleasant scent | Fresh, mild botanical fragrance | Classic light scent |
| Silicone | Yes (for smoothing) | Yes (for frizz control) | Yes (for frizz and shine) |
Mini Serum Face-Off
Despite featuring a price point in the same range as other serums, L’Oreal Paris Hair Serum is able to compete by giving not just repair but moisture in an optimal formula. Unlike with some ultralight serums that add only shine or fragrance, this one has targeted ingredients to fortify hair fibers.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Light formula gets absorbed easily
- Tames and smoothes hair while reducing frizz.
- Provides visible shine that is noticeable but not heavy
- Easy-to-use pump dispenser
- Cheap and accessible
Cons
- Contains Silicones which should be washed out properly.
- Fragrance may be irritating to sensitive scalps.
Final Thoughts: Is It Worth Adding to Your Routine
L’Oreal Paris Total Repair 5 Hair Serum is a decent budget buy if you’re looking to enhance the texture, shine, and manageability of mildly to moderately damaged hair. It’s not a miracle worker for very damaged strands, but what it does is offer protection, conditioning and lightweight nourishment that can fit seamlessly into just about any routine. With the power of ceramides, arginine, and hydrating oils, your hair has what it needs to fight frizz and dryness.
If you regularly style or chemically alter your hair, using this serum daily in addition to a quality shampoo and conditioner can make a noticable change. And the smell is delightful and it doesn’t feel at all greasy, which makes it pleasant to use.
But keep in mind, damaged hair often requires several stages of care like trimming, deep conditioning, protection against harsh elements — nothing can truly do it all on its own.
FAQs
Can I apply this serum to wet and dry hair?
It is sprayed onto towel-dried hair to protect it before styling, or on dry hair to control flyaways and add shine.
Is this product cruelty-free?
L’Oreal is not currently a cruelty-free brand, so if animal testing is a deal-breaker for you, keep that in mind.
Will this serum repair split ends completely?
There is no topical serum that can fix a split end. This serum can work to prevent appearance by coating and reinforcing hair, but must be accompanied by regular trims to maintain split ends.
